Mature student

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A mature student, also known as an adult student and adult learner in North America, in tertiary education (at a university or a college) is normally classified as an (undergraduate) student who is at least 25 years old (23 years old in Ireland, 21 in the UK) at the start of their course, or in the Irish case on the first of January of the year of entry, and usually having been away from school for at least two years. Mature students can also include students away from school for decades or students with no secondary education as situations allow. Mature students also make up graduate and post graduate populations merely by demographic of age.

Mature students are otherwise indistinguishable from younger students in that they study full-time, most-time, part-time, occasional, and at a distance (correspondence, Internet, or other remote means).

For example, most of the students at the Open University in the United Kingdom, where students can study part-time from home, are mature students wishing to gain a degree later in life, perhaps because the opportunity was not available to them when they left school.

The normal entry requirements for school-leavers wishing to start an undergraduate degree are often not applied to mature students. However, this varies by jurisdiction, and prospective students should consult the admissions office for verification on what is and is not required.

In the case of a Mature Student wishing to first of all complete an access programme in Ireland they must be 22 years old on the 1st of January of the year of entry.

Further reading

• Crimaldi, Laura, "Older residents follow Pathway to college", Boston Herald, Sunday, January 4, 2009. About students successes in the College Pathways program at ABCD Learning Works in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Rogers, Alan, "Non-formal Education: Flexible Schooling Or Participatory Education?", Springer, 2005. ISBN 0387246363

External links

Mature student organizations around the world include:

Canada

• University of Toronto Transitional Year Programme Toronto, Ontario.
• University of Toronto Millie Rotman Shime Academic Bridging Program Toronto, Ontario.
• York University - Atkinson Centre for Mature and Part-time Students Toronto, Ontario.
• York University Mature Students Organization (YUMSO@YorkU) - Student peer support & advocacy Toronto, Ontario.

United Kingdom

• UK Mature student resource Dept of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) & The Student Room.

Ireland

• DIT Mature Students Website
• Community Links Site
• University Of Limerick Mature Student Website
• Third Level Education Citizens Advice Centre Information

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